11 comments on F1 fans’ videos from the 2012 Italian Grand Prix

Having seen the video of the start, it puzzles me why Sergio wasnt given a penalty…….he was clearly off his mark and it appeared a third of his car was out of the box……i dont know what the rules are about placing the car in the box (if it pertains only to the wheels or even the front wing should be in the box) but that looked like a blatant mistake…….i remember something similar happened with Massa in Spa 2010 and he wasnt penalised either…..

@avinash It is a bit weird to be honest. It seems to be hardly controlled at all. I don’t expect that the drivers could sort it out for fear of stalling the engine but I am curious to know what the ruling is.

@avinash@cristian@andrewtanner@john-h The FIA have responded to my enquiry about this. Drivers have to place their cars with the front wheel centre line level with the yellow line. Apparently Perez was close to the limit of acceptability but he was OK, which is why he didn’t get a penalty.

I still find it hard to see how from the video, but perhaps there’s something else there we can’t see. Some drivers reported difficulty seeing the grid boxes and yellow lines as they weren’t as clearly marked as at other circuits.

@keithkollantine @cristian@andrewtanner@john-h I think the FIA clarification is vague at best……the so called limit of acceptability is such a variable depending on multiple circumstances, like the person who is checking it, the incline of the start-finish straight or the aforementioned visibility of the yellow line……the best way to police it is by use of sensors either on-track or on the car…….maybe they can be used to guide the driver aswell just to make sure no one has an advantage.